Oh gosh. It's happening. I am feeling ill. The day before yesterday I woke up overly tired. I ignored it and walked to work where I promptly felt worse as time went on. I thought that maybe I was feeling the results of a lack of good sleep, so I sipped a cup of coffee and ate light that day. As the evening progressed and my symptoms worsened, I decided that it was time to take a bit of Echinacea. Hopefully halting this illness in it's tracks. Echinacea is a powerful immune booster, but I've found that if it is not taken the moment you do not feel well, it might be too late. My body agreed the next morning.

Yesterday morning I woke up with a sore throat and as the day progressed I cursed what I thought was an allergy issue.... as well as all the trees and grasses around me. "Damn you allergies! Damn you trees! Damn you wind! Damn you grasses!"... something like that.

100 sneezes later and I was found curled up on the couch under 50+ blankets, freezing. This was obviously not an allergy episode... besides, I don't have any allergies... hmm..

As time went on, there was no pleasing me. "I'm hot. I'm cold. My back hurts, etc". After pouting endlessly I decided to take this illness out of my system! I declared I was going to make a come-back!

I got off the couch, took some more Echinacea Compound and then made myself a nice hot cup of fresh ginger tea. I then took a hot shower and crawled into bed. I woke up at around 7 this morning. My nose was all stuffed up but my throat didn't hurt anymore and my fever seemed to break! I dragged myself out of bed and made some more tea. I then took some more Echinacea and sat there at my kitchen table... thinking to myself, "Okay Ashley... you can sit here and mope or you can get up and enjoy this beautiful day."

So I did. I walked to work and here I am. I feel 85 times better! I wonder why? Could it be the Echinacea? Could it be the ginger tea? Could it be my outlook and resolve to win? I think it's all of the above. By choosing not to stay sick, I'm not. By choosing to help my body fight off the dreaded cold, it has. It's an amazing thing... The power of thought, Echinacea and ginger... I am not functioning at 100% but I am definitely making a come back. Back in the day (before learning about yoga and Ayurveda), I would have just suffered for days and days and not put up a fight. With experimentation with herbs and compounds I've discovered that I no longer have to suffer. I have the power to heal myself... and you do to!

GINGER TEA

Probably best known for its ability to relieve nausea, ginger is another powerful healing flavor source. Gingerols and shogaols, plant compounds that give ginger its spicy-hot taste and stimulating aroma, are anti-inflammatories that can reduce pain from colds, flu, sore throat, headache, cramps, and even osteoarthritis, without the stomach irritation often linked to ibuprofen.

Early research hints that ginger could also inhibit growth of certain types of cancer cells, including those in the ovaries and gastrointestinal tract. A recent study published in the Saudi Medical Journal indicates that ginger may also lower cholesterol levels significantly, thereby benefiting heart health.

Ginger is Mother Nature’s protective cloak, shielding us from sickness on winter days. This tea is very spicy—if it tastes too strong, dilute it with more hot water and honey. Traditional advice is not to drink more than 2 cups of ginger tea a day unless you are using it as a treatment for a bad chest cold.

Ginger tea is also a GREAT way to liven up during wet and damp days. Ginger warms you up on the inside, as well as lightens any heaviness that results from damp and wet days. Ginger increases digestive fire, as well as assists in healing colds, sore throats, bronchitis, and impaired circulation and digestion. Mmmmmmmmm.... I hope you enjoy this amazing tea. Don't be afraid of adding enough honey to make it good to you. Raw honey is full of minerals, vitamins, enzymes, and powerful antioxidants.

Serves 1

1 cup water

1/2 inch fresh ginger root

Raw honey (to taste)

Turmeric root (optional)

Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Peel fresh ginger (using a spoon instead of a knife is easier) and then slice it into chunks or strips. When the water boils, add ginger to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and add honey! For an extra kick, add turmeric root to the ginger in the pot and simmer.

Author's Message

Love is the essence of our life. I have written this blog with love, and I offer it to you, dear reader, with the hope that the suggestions offered here will become a vital part of your self-healing and continued well-being.

I express the wish that we apply the teachings we learn in our everyday lives and thus free ourselves and others from suffering.

I encourage you to keep an open mind. This is often likened to the wonder of a child seeing the world without preconceptions.

As the Zen master Suzuki Roshi put it,

"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few."

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﻿﻿❤ ~ Ana Valinho, Student in Cusco, Peru 2015

"From Aldea Yanapay (great school of love to children), to the incredible homely hostel la boheme, to the food at mercado san blas and at greenpoint... My 6 weeks in Cusco/Qosqo/centre/gravitational centre were all truly well balanced out by Ashley ● I have been doing yoga for five years in London, Lisbon and NYC and I was wonderfully surprised by the teacher Ashley at the Yoga Room in Cusco, Peru. From her words, to the sense of opportunity, helping, the pace, the getting everyone's names and brief "why am I here", taste for music and simply those oils... vinyasa gained a new look for me. ● You made me feel so balanced out, just when I needed that push. May your excellent work continue and your knowledge be taken further."​~ Yours, ana maria (portugal) ~ Ana Valinho, Student in Cusco, Peru 2015